Dan Lanning isn’t hiding from Oregon’s offensive issues after the Ducks’ latest stumble, but he also isn’t offering the public a blueprint for how he plans to fix them.
Following Oregon’s 17-15 loss to UCLA, a result that dropped the Ducks to 3-2 and knocked them out of the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since the 2022 season, Lanning said Monday night that changes are coming on offense. He made clear the evaluation is already underway, and he said the way the Ducks have operated this week has already shifted. What he would not do is spell out the details.
“Everything's being evaluated. I wouldn't reveal anything that we would do differently.
Doesn't give us any advantage from that standpoint,” Lanning said. “But there's a lot of pieces.
It's really easy to point in one spot. I'd say that I wear it, right?
Our whole staff wears it. Our whole team wears it.
Every one of us has opportunities to improve.
“But yeah, there's going to be some changes. There's going to be some differences in the way that we operate and what we do, and there already is in the way we've operated this week. But as far as revealing how we'll do that, what things will look like, we're not going to share that with you guys.”
The criticism has mounted quickly around an offense that has flashed real firepower in stretches, but only in flashes. Oregon showed what it can do against Boise State in Week 1 and again at USC in Week 4, but those games have been overshadowed by sluggish showings in losses to Oklahoma State and UCLA. Both of those defeats came as double-digit favorites.
“If you say we played well against Boise State at times and played well in the USC game, right? That's not enough.
Portland State doesn't count, right? That's not a high enough clip to say that we're successful,” Lanning said.
First-year offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer has taken much of the heat from outside the program as Oregon’s offense has struggled to match the level Ducks fans have come to expect. The issues, though, have not been limited to one spot. Lanning pointed to broader execution problems across the offense while also acknowledging that, as the coordinator, Mehringer naturally ends up at the center of the criticism.
Mehringer was hired this offseason to replace Will Stein, who left for Kentucky’s head coaching job. He entered this season with one year of offensive coordinator experience, which came at Rutgers in 2016.
Lanning defended what Mehringer has brought to the program before this season, but he also made it clear the production now has to improve.
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Dan Lanning has now been put in the uncomfortable position of defending his player and the programs response, saying Alexander will not be disciplined because he believed the contact was part of an effort to dislodge the ball. Alexander has also expressed remorse and said he never intended to cause harm, but the incident has still become a test of how Oregon handles a moment that has landed far outside the normal bounds of postgame review. [Read more 🡒]
Dan Lanning Just Put Dylan Raiola Back In Nebraskas Spotlight
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Lanning also pointed to Raiolas composure after being replaced during the game, a small but meaningful sign in a week when the Ducks were looking for steadiness more than flash. He said the teams body language stayed positive even as the offense struggled, and added that some changes are coming to how Oregon operates without getting into specifics, leaving the bigger picture of the quarterback battle and the adjustments around it very much open. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Heads Into Pivotal Nebraska Test With One Huge Problem
The buildup to Nebraskas visit to Autzen Stadium has quickly turned into more than just another Big Ten matchup for Oregon. The Ducks are spending the week sorting through an uncertain quarterback situation, with three potential starters still tied to concussion protocol clearance, a development that adds real weight to a game that was already shaping up as one of the more telling tests on the schedule.
Nebraska comes in with momentum and a defense that can make life difficult for any offense, ranking third in sacks in the conference under Matt Rhules guidance. Anthony Colandrea gives the Cornhuskers a senior transfer presence at quarterback, but the bigger question for Oregon is whether it can get the right pieces back in place in time to meet a team that has earned its strong season record the hard way. [Read more 🡒]